Public restrooms in Tokyo are everywhere. Every train station, restaurant, shopping center and department store has a bathroom. You are not far from a toilet should you need one in most areas the average person visits. There are, of course, upsides and down as there are in most major cities but I have to say, the bathrooms in Japan are pretty awesome. Proceed on of you want my observations on public restrooms in Tokyo.

The Toilets

Over the last few years, businesses and train stations have continually updated the toilets in their rest rooms. Most places have the option of either traditional squat toilets or more western style toilets. What are called “western” style toilets are definitely not what Americans are accustomed to. Even public bathrooms may have fancy commodes with spray and dry bidet features, which are unusual public spaces in America.

My favorite thing about the toilets in Japan is the privacy feature. Almost all of the electronic toilets have some sort of audio playback to cover your “sounds” in the bathroom. A flushing sound is played until you flush the toilet or for a set period of time. People used to continually flush until finished, wasting water, because they were embarrassed by the noises. The sound feature is almost always loud enough to cover everything.

Changing boards

People spend a lot of time away from home when living in the city. You may need to have clothes for work and clothes for events after work but where do you change? Luckily, a lot of public restrooms have little flip down boards for you to stand on while changing without putting your feet on the icky, dirty floor. They were mysterious little flaps near the floor until one day, I finally found an English sign with a very informative graphic.

Special Use Stalls

Recently, more stall options have appeared. Aside from the squat toilets, there are more often stalls for mothers with children, stalls for disabled users, and stalls for those with ostomy needs. Since I’m in America, the larger stalls are very common place when you find public restrooms, but public restrooms with free access are less common in large cities.

Be prepared!

Not every bathroom has toilet paper. Unlike Western bathrooms, which always have toilet paper – unless there stocking issue, not every public toilet in Tokyo does. Always, ALWAYS, keep some sort of facial tissue with you in case of an emergency.

Not every public restroom provides a way to dry your hands, especially older places. You may see a hand dryer or really rough paper towels, but like toilet paper, assume you might need to have your own and keep a washcloth tucked away.

No public restroom has menstruation management products available. I have never seen a tampon or maxi pad dispenser in any public bathroom. Make sure you have your own supplies and some extras just in case. At the offices I’ve worked in, the ladies keep a little bag for breaks with tooth brush, pads, etc. in the restroom closest to their desks.